The Adrian College men’s lacrosse team fell 11-10 in Wednesday night’s non-conference back-and-forth battle against Concordia University (Wis.) at Docking Stadium.

After a surging comeback in the third quarter, the Bulldogs (4-2) battled tough to keep the game within reach. With just over one minute left in the contest, the Falcons (6-2) found the back of the net with a wraparound goal, breaking the 10-10 tie.

“We didn’t play for 60 minutes today,” said Adrian coach Don LaSala. “We had times where we played well, but more times where we struggled, and that won’t get you a win against a quality team.”

Adrian had its chance to tie the game and force overtime, but the one good scoring opportunity went wide right as the clock ticked down to zeroes.

The game started with both teams playing stellar defense. Adrian controlled the ball for most of the first quarter, but the Falcons found ways to make if difficult on the Bulldogs.

With the Falcons crowding the middle defensively, the Bulldogs became patient with the ball, passing frequently and looking for a breakdown in the defense. With just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Bulldogs found the back of the net after a running cross-net goal by Tom Thielman.

The Bulldogs would then struggle offensively with turnovers and short possessions. Concordia would do the opposite, as it found an offensive rhythm and scored the game’s next four goals.

Adrian did not find the net again until there was just over six minutes left in the half. Mitch Burgin scored unassisted to bring the score to 4-2. However, the Falcons would immediately end the Bulldogs’ momentum with a breakaway goal just 30 seconds later.

The remaining five minutes of the half saw great defense from both sides. With neither team finding the net, the Falcons went into the half ahead 5-2.

The start of the third quarter gave a spark to the Bulldogs, as their offense began clicking on all cylinders. The first goal of the half came with 10 minutes left by Burgin. Eric Fannell scored 17 seconds later, and Adrian added two more within a minute from Thielman and Burgin, giving the Bulldogs four goals in less than two minutes. Adrian took a quick 6-5 lead and made things interesting.

“We played hard,” LaSala said about the Bulldogs’ four-goal burst. “That was the only time we played extremely hard and stayed aggressive.”

Concordia did not let the Bulldog hot streak crush its spirits. The Falcons would not be down for long, tying the game with six minutes remaining in the third and taking back the lead 10 seconds later with the Bulldogs down a man.

Page 2 of 2 - The Bulldogs then came right back as Thielman shot a laser into the back of the net, tying the game at 7 with five minutes left in the third.

The fourth quarter was set up to come down to the wire. The Falcons opened up the fourth with two goals in the first seven minutes. The Bulldogs closed the gap to 9-8 with 7:56 left on Brendan Harvey’s goal.

The two teams, who used to be conference rivals in the Midwest Lacrosse Conference, would then trade goals with Fannell scoring for the Bulldogs with four minutes left, closing the gap to 10-9.

The remainder of the game had everyone on the edge of their seats. Burgin buried a goal with just under two minutes left to tie the game at 10. The Bulldogs were unable to complete the comeback, as the Falcons hit the game-winner with 1:12 remaining.

Burgin led the Bulldogs with four goals and two assists. Thielman finished with three goals, and Fannell added two goals with an assist. Adrian goalkeeper Kevin Lerg recorded seven saves.